Robert M. Arida

How the Church understands itself, and how it manifests itself is inseparably bound to tradition. Tradition is the “way of existence”– the τρόπος ὐπάρξεως—by which the Church identifies itself. Tradition is the rudder that steers the Church through the often turbulent and challenging waters of social and cultural change. Tradition provides the foundation upon which[…..]

Our society was built on the racial segmentation of personhood. Some people were full humans, guaranteed non-enslavement, secured from expropriation and given the protection of law, and some people—blacks, Natives, and other nonwhites—were not. That unequal distribution of personhood was an economic reality as well. It shaped your access to employment and capital; determined whether[…..]

Iconography is one of the most important ways in which the body is affirmed and understood within a Christian context. This is because of iconography’s inseparable relationship with the incarnation. Both affirm unambiguously that the salvation, regeneration, transfiguration, and deification of everyone and everything depend upon God’s taking on human nature. This, of course, includes[…..]

Though it was originally written as a reflection for the OCA’s upcoming All-American Council in July of 2015, I believe what follows applies to all Orthodox Christians in North America. The theme of mission and evangelization permeates our ecclesial atmosphere.

This conversation started when Fr. Robert asked me for feedback on his essay, “How to Expand the Mission.”1 While he referred specifically to the mission of Orthodox Church in America, I think the questions raised are relevant to Orthodoxy across the globe.

To speak about sacred space from an Orthodox Christian perspective requires us to first think about how we perceive and understand reality. For many, knowledge of reality is not linked to an actual experience of someone or something. This becomes most acute in the realm of cyberspace and virtual reality where an artificially created environment[…..]

Those intimately familiar with the writings and lectures of Father Alexander Schmemann will readily admit that he often looked at psychology with a skeptical eye. Nevertheless, one should not hastily conclude that Father Schmemann was unaware of the psychological dimensions of liturgical worship.

The question of Chekhov’s Christianity and his relationship with the Orthodox Church continues to be debated. Even Father Alexander Schmemann, who lauded Chekhov’s deep insights into the complexities of the human person brought about by his religious and medical backgrounds, could not confidently state that he was a man of the Church.

On September 1, 2019, Archbishop Nikon of Boston, New England, and the Albanian Archdiocese (OCA) fell asleep in the Lord after a long battle with cancer. His Eminence’s repose has left an enormous void in the lives of his family and friends and in the lives of the two dioceses he lovingly pastored.

What does our Lord mean when he says, “If you want to follow me, you must deny yourself”—you must “disown” yourself—“and take up your cross and follow me?” (Mark 8:34) These words form the basis for a living faith, and therefore the basis for an authentic experience and life with the living God.